Holder



R. T. LUCK Feb. 16, 1960 HOLDER Filed July 19, 1956 IN1/Ewan BY LW, awa/um, ma/9@ United States Patent O HOLDER Raymond T. Luck, Chicago, Ill., assignor to National Dairy Products Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application July 19, 1956, Serial No. 598,925

2 Claims. (Cl. 248-301) This invention relates generally to holders. More particularly, this invention relates to holders featuring hooks for hanging recipe books and similar articles therefrom.

ln retail marketing operations, inducements to the customers to buy various products frequently comprise the dispensing of so-called give-aways. In marketing food products through grocery stores and the like, these give-aways may, for example, take the form of inclusions in the product box. However, in many cases uthe giveaways .comprise items attached adjacent to or direstly on the outer surfaceof the merchandise package, for customer viewing and access.` One advantage of this latter `marketing technique is that the particular giveawaysassociated with thesales ,product may easily be changed from selling area to selling area and from time toV time to stimulate repeatedsales` of merchandise, and without substituting the products themselves.

' L Inclusions are frequently introduced into the box containing the product at the product manufacturing plant. Consequently, change in the type of give-aways would necessitate recalling and repackaging of the product, or replacementof the products with new samples containing the new give-aways.

One standard method of attaching give-aways adjacent to or directly on the outer surface of the package containing the sales product, or the outersurface of the sales product itself,'is carried out by means ofan adhesive strip. However, certain disadvantages may be present in' this method.` For example, a certain loss of customer eye appeal may arise due to the appearance of the` strip. Further, there may be ,difficulty in removing the adhesive strip from the surface of the package or Y product itself where substitution of the type of giveaways is desired. In addition, use of adhesive strips is time consuming and expensive. Furthermore, the strips may dry out and allow the attached item to drop off from the surface to which it is held before sale of the product. In addition, most adhesive strips are of the one-use type and cannot be reapplied to a surface, in the event that substitution of the attached item vis desired.

Cost of the strips can be an important factor in l marketing highly competitive products, ,such asbreakfast foods, cake mixes and cheese products, particularly where` there are relatively low margins of proiit to the manufacturer per product item.

A new means of attaching give-aways or other classes of items for display has been discovered, comprising a low cost, durable, reuseable holder, featuring a hook. The holder is especially adapted for use in commercial price mouldings and also may be easily attached to cardboard box or similar constructions containing sales products.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple, low-cost, reuseable holder, which holder is of attractive appearance.

A further obiect of this invention is to provide a durable holder having a hook.

Another object of this invention is to provide an article holder especially adapted for use in retail marketing operations.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from a study of the following detailed description, and accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a holder in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the holder shown in Figure 1, the holder being in position in a price moulding;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the holder shown in Figures 1 and 2 in position in a carton;

Figure 4 is a view, partly in section, taken along the section line 4 4 of Figure 3.

The holder of the present invention is attachable to shelving, dairy cases, produce cases, frozen food cases and other product container units having price mouldings or similar equipment. These mouldings usually comprise vertically spaced slots which receive celluloid or paper numbers indicating the prices of the adjacent consumer sales products. Figure 2 shows the holder of the present invention held in position on such a moulding. Figure 3 demonstrates a further use to which the holder of this invention may be put, that is, attachment to cardboard or other easily scorable display cases and similar packages containing the sales product.

Now considering in detail the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4, holder 5 comprises a relatively thin, resilient section 7. The holder also includes a hook 9 centrally disposed with respect to the section 7 an extending forwardly and. upwardly therefrom.

The section 7 andl hook 9, if desiredgmay be formed as o a single unit from a suitable durable material such as shown in Figure 2.

metal, preferably aluminum` or stainlesssteel, or -a nonmetal of requisite stiffness and resilience, suchas plastic, natural or synthetic rubber.A y

One method of manufacturing the holder 5 is to stamp it out from a at sheet of themateriahpreferably in a onestamp operation which also cuts and shapes hook 9 from the body of the section 7. Othercommercial methods of manufacture are also applicable for the fabrication of the holderS. For example, the hook -9`may be formed as a separate unitand attached to the section `'7. The holder 5 may have straight edges. Preferablythe holdei has edges at least some of which are rounded, as shgwnfat Asclearly shown in Figures 1 and 3, "thillustr'ated hook is formed with a series of three successively and oppositely disposed curved portions. In addition, the hook is provided with a, generally centrally disposed,

,longitudinal rib 9a which inherently rigidiies the hook.

Edges 1l may be utilized for scoring a cardboard case V'l5 (see Figure 3) alongthe lines 17. In this regard, it is also contemplated that one or more edges. of. the holder may be formed if desired, to facilitate scoring ofcardboard and the like. A

The holder may be uncolored or may be suitably colored, as with paint, enamel or pigments incorporated in the body of the holder, if the holder is fabricated from a plastic, rubber, etc.

The holder 5 may be attached t0 any suitable pair of retaining means. As an example, the holder 5 may be attached to the price moulding 13 such-as shown in Figure 2, which moulding may already be conveniently joined to a display counter 18. Accordingly, the entire holder assembly comprises section 7, hook `9 and the moulding 13. f

The method of attachmentV ofV the holderS, as provided in Figure 2, comprises merely bending the holderY price moulding 13, as

5, to lit'into the tracks 19 and 21 of the price moulding 13 with the hook 9 in the upwardly extending receiving position. Holder may be, if it is llexible as preferred, slightly higher than the distance between tracks 19 and 21,fso that when inserted between these tracks plate 7 ofl the holder is caused to belly or curve outwardly. This has the 'effect of automatically extending hook 9 outwardly and also tends to hold holder 5 more securely in place against the price moulding. Y n

When it is desired to attach the holder directly to a cardboard case, containing Vthe sales .products such 'as case in Figure 3, parallel lines 17 may be scored in the case va suitable distance apart by means of one or more edges 11 of plate 7, or by other suitable means as, for example, a knife or razor. The distance between the parallel lines may be slightly less than the total height of holder 5, if, as is preferred,'holder 5 is llexible. After the lines 17 are scored in the case, holder 5 may be placed under 'slight compression so that edges 11 are bent toward each other. The total height of the holder is accordingly r`slightly reduced until it approximates 'the distance'b'etween score lines 17. Edges 1 1 of the holder may then be inserted into score lines 17 with hook 9 in the upwardly extending operative position. The cornpressive force is then removed from the holder. The resiliency of holder 5 will cause edges 11 tobe driven further into the score lines 17, preferably between'the layers23an'd 25 (Figuret) of the cardboard case or other suitable container. The Vmain portion `of holder 5 acc'rdin'gly'is held imposition adjoining the external sufa'ce'of layer 2,3 of the cardbord case llS.

'HolderS can be easily stripped from cardboard case 15 forA reuse in another'location whenever desired. When holder 5Iis positioned as above described,.the giveaway,items, for example, paper pads containing recipes imprinted thereon, or advertising ldata,`etc. may be susf pended from hook'9. The'item 'to be suspended or hung from hook 9 may have holes punched therethrough" for receiving hook.9. YSuch give-away 'items'are shown by dotted lines in Figures 2 and 3.,

HolderS `may be manufactured in any size or shape 'to frt standard price mouldings or cardboard cartons, l

boxes, etc. A preferred embodiment of this invention is a'stainless steel holder of the general shape of that set forth in Figures 1, 2, 3, and4. The holder is approximatelyY V1% inches high and inch wide; a suitable size-font a common ltype* of price moulding found in i iiiostrtail grocery stores;V Theholder'has a hook which is approximately 11%; inches in length and inchesfin width, and which is formed centrally of the plate in a 'stamping operation,

It is obvious that various modifications in the construction, shape, form and style of the present invention can be made without departing from the spiritof this invention. All such modifications are contemplated as being within the scope of this invention.

I claim: n

1. A holder comprising a thin, resiliently exible, generally flat .plate having formed integrally therewithin 5a generally centrally positioned,elongated hook located in an inoperative, generally co-planar relation relative to said plate, said hook having a longitudinally extending central rib hmaking said hook relatively rigid with respect to said plate, said flexible plate being bendable to present a rearwardly concave disposition of the plate relative to said hook to thereby yplace the latter in forwardly spaced relation to said plate.

2. A holding assembly including, in combination, a holder'a'nd a pair of parallel tracks Vreceiving said holder, said holder 'comprising a thin, `resilient, generally rectangular plate having upper and lower edges disposed in generally parallel relation to each other and having formed integrally therewith a centrally located elongated hook disposed lengthwise in generally perpendicular relation to said upper and lower edges, said hook having a longitudinally extending central rib Yand being positioned in an inoperative, generally co-planar relatonfto said platewhen said plate is` flat, said upper edge ofjsaid plate being received by one of said tracks and said lower Aedge being receivedlbythe other of .said tracks, saidlpair of tracks being spaced apart slightlyless than the distance between said upper and lower edges of said plate,

said plate being bowed `for Areceipt byV said tracks whereby said hook is automatically flexed forwardly of said plate from said inoperative, generally co-.planar position relative to said plate to an operative position in adjacent spaced forward relation to said plate.

References Cited in"the"lef this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,805 Bowman j. A Aug. 28, 1900 `873,099 Shepard v.. Dec. l0, 1907 1,223,998 Maynard Apr. 24, 1917 1,807,356 Vance May 26, 1931 2,081,095 Mull -'M'ay 18, 1937 2,436,533 Thompson v v Feb. 24, 1948 

